2018/2020 SESSION of the BERMUDA HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY OFFICIAL HANSARD REPORT 6 March 2020 Sitting number 40 of the 2018/2020 Session (pages 3393–3490) Hon. Dennis P. Lister, Jr., JP, MP Speaker Disclaimer: The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for informational purposes only. The printed version remains the official record. Official Hansard Report 6 March 2020 3393 BERMUDA HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY OFFICIAL HANSARD REPORT 6 MARCH 2020 10:02 AM Sitting Number 40 of the 2018/2020 Session [Hon. Dennis P. Lister, Jr., Speaker, in the Chair] MESSAGES FROM THE SENATE PRAYERS The Speaker: There are none. [Prayers read by Mr. Clark Somner, Deputy Clerk] PAPERS AND OTHER COMMUNICATIONS TO THE HOUSE The Speaker: Good morning, Members. The Speaker: This morning on the Order Paper you [Gavel] will see that there are three papers to be tabled today. And the first is in the name of the Minister of Finance. CONFIRMATION OF MINUTES Minister. [Minutes of 2 and 4 March 2020] Hon. Curtis L. Dickinson: Good morning, Mr. The Speaker: Members, the Minutes from the 2nd of th Speaker. March and also the 4 of March have been circulated. Are there any corrections or omissions that The Speaker: Good morning. need to be addressed? There are none. GOVERNMENT FEES AMENDMENT The Minutes will be confirmed as printed. REGULATIONS 2020 [Minutes of 2 March and 4 March 2020 confirmed.] Hon. Curtis L. Dickinson: Mr. Speaker, with the Governor’s recommendation and in accordance with MESSAGES FROM THE GOVERNOR section 36(3) of the Bermuda Constitution, I have the honour to attach and submit for the consideration of The Speaker: There are none. the Honourable House of Assembly the Government Fees Amendment Regulations 2020 proposed to be ANNOUNCEMENTS BY THE SPEAKER made by the Minister of Finance in exercise of the OR MEMBER PRESIDING power conferred by section 2 of the Government Fees Act of 1965. The Speaker: Good morning, Members. The Speaker: And, Minister, I believe the second is also in your name. HOUSE PAGES The Speaker: Today I would just like to announce BERMUDA PUBLIC ACCOUNTABILITY BOARD that we have with us two Pages who are sitting in with 2019 ANNUAL REPORT AND FINANCIAL us today. We have Ms. [Jache] Butler and Ms. STATEMENTS [Dazhja] Greaves, who are both here. I think you have seen both [of them] this morning as they have circu- Hon. Curtis L. Dickinson: Mr. Speaker, I have the lated around. Yes. honour to attach and submit for the information of the Welcome. I trust you young ladies will enjoy Honourable House of Assembly the Bermuda Public your stay with us today. Accountability Board 2019 Annual Report and Finan- cial Statements. Thank you. APOLOGY Thank you. The Speaker: And the third paper is in the name of the Min- The Speaker: I would also like to announce that Mr. Cole Simons is absent today. And he will send his ister of Health. Minister Wilson. apology. Bermuda House of Assembly 3394 6 March 2020 Official Hansard Report BERMUDA HOSPITALS BOARD ed at the height of the storm. The building has subse- ANNUAL REPORT FOR 2014/15 quently been demolished. During that year, BHB managed to end the Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Thank you. Good morning, Mr. year with a surplus, though down year on year. Thirty- Speaker. seven per cent, or $10.7 million, of revenues over ex- Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to attach and penses in that year was an accounting gain—not submit for the information of the Honourable House of cash—related to accrued health insurance. Salary and Assembly the Bermuda Hospitals Board Annual Re- employee benefit costs dipped slightly compared to port for 2014/15. the year before, to $170.5 million. The biggest drops in revenue related to outpatient services and the Ex- The Speaker: Thank you, Minister. tended Care Unit. Mr. Speaker, the 2015 annual report gives PETITIONS details of the operational readiness project, which in- cludes accreditation for the substance abuse pro- The Speaker: There are none. gramme Turning Point, with the Commission on Ac- creditation of Rehabilitation Facilities. A significant STATEMENTS BY MINISTERS focus this year was on Ebola preparedness planning, overseen by an Ebola subcommittee of BHB’s Disas- AND JUNIOR MINISTERS ter Committee; screening protocols for staff and pa- tients; and the purchase of special protective equip- The Speaker: There are two Statements on the Order ment for staff and ambulances. Paper this morning. The first is again in the name of At the same time, a respiratory infection en- the Minister of Health. terovirus, D68, was circulating, especially impacting Minister. the very young. Protocols around testing, treatment and caring for infected patients, as well as restricting BERMUDA HOSPITALS BOARD visitation, were implemented. All of this to say that ANNUAL REPORT 2015 preparing for infectious diseases is not new to the Is- land or BHB, even as we face the more widespread Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Mr. Speaker and Honourable challenges of COVID-19 today. Members, I am very pleased to be tabling in this Hon- To close, Mr. Speaker, I look forward to bring- ourable House today the Bermuda Hospitals Board ing the future annual reports as they are made ready 2015 Annual Report. There has been progress in the and to see BHB move forward on its legislated sched- auditing process, and this has been publicly com- ule of financial reporting. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. mented on by the Auditor General. Financial State- ments for 2016 were signed off by the Auditor General The Speaker: Thank you, Minister. in February. I am very pleased to note that both 2015 The second Statement this morning is in the and 2016 have unqualified audits. I will soon be able name of the Minister of National Security. to table the 2016 report in this Honourable House. Minister, would you like to put your State- The focus is now on completing the audits for 2017, ment? 2018, 2019 and finally 2020. The current anticipated schedule will see BHB [Bermuda Hospitals Board] Hon. Wayne Caines: If it pleases you, Mr. Speaker. completing all of its audits up to 2019 by the end of the calendar year. The Speaker: It so does. Mr. Speaker, alongside financial data, salary data and financial statements, this 2015 annual report TABLING THE REPATRIATION AND provides a summary of the activities during the fiscal MIXED STATUS FAMILIES BILL year under review. This was an incredible year which saw BHB move acute services into the new Acute Hon. Wayne Caines: Mr. Speaker, Winston Churchill Care Wing after years of construction and planning. once said, “Now this is not the end. It is not even the BHB was able to meet its new financial obligations beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the even though revenue decreased that year. Significant beginning.” These words were spoken after a great cost controls were put in place, and discretionary victory which marked a turning point for the British in spending was carefully managed. World War II. It is the same for our progress so far It was also the year we had two hurricanes with comprehensive immigration reform. This is not within a week. The new Acute Care Wing fared very the end. This is only the end of the beginning. For we well, but the older buildings at KEMH [King Edward VII have much more work to do on reform. Progress in Memorial Hospital] and MWI [Mid Atlantic Wellness immigration reform requires time, resources, collabo- Institute], and specifically the old Continuing Care Unit ration with stakeholders and strong leadership on the were damaged badly and residents had to be relocat- issue. Bermuda House of Assembly Official Hansard Report 6 March 2020 3395 Mr. Speaker, with that being said, I rise here 4. job makers; and today to announce to this Honourable House that I am 5. mixed status families. tabling the Bermuda Immigration and Protection Phase 4 is the implementation phase and in- Amendment Act 2020, a Bill best referred to as the cludes work to update IT systems, training of staff and Repatriation and Mixed Status Families Bill. Mr. an examination of the organisational structure in light Speaker, this morning I would outline the phases of of procedural and legislative changes. This phase also comprehensive immigration reform, the problems ad- includes the implementation of a new border man- dressed by this Bill and the collaborative approach agement system, scheduled to go live in the summer used. of 2020. This new system will allow the Department of Immigration to better perform its role of protecting our Four Phases of Reform borders and is a critical dependency for the new air- port, which is scheduled to open with the use of e- Hon. Wayne Caines: Last year we said that compre- gates. hensive immigration reform must be done in phases. Mr. Speaker, there is much more to be done We cannot fix everything at once. We outlined four for comprehensive immigration reform, but tabling this distinct phases of immigration reform. Bill is a positive step in the right direction. Mr. Speak- Phase 1 addresses operational backlogs in er, the Government stated in its Speech from the the Department of Immigration including work permit Throne in November 2018, “Our immigration laws processing and has resulted in our closely monitoring must better reflect the mandate of this Government in this area to ensure we have no slippage moving for- putting Bermudians first. That means that a balance ward. must be struck between the legitimate expectations of Phase 2 involves improving processes and Bermudians in their own land and the legitimate la- procedures within all sections of the department, re- bour needs of businesses.